Digital video recorder (DVR) devices allow users to record various types of content, while offering several features that users may utilize in conjunction with the content. One feature provided by most DVR devices with respect to content allows the user to schedule certain content for daily recording, such as the daily news, weekly dramas, or movies. With this feature, the user may view the content recorded onto the DVR device at any time after recording.
In the context of conventional broadcasts, another feature provided by DVR devices, referred to as “Live off Disk” (LOD), allows users to pause live broadcast content, and rewind the content for a nominal amount of time on the current channel. LOD content may be subjected to such a rewinding event because LOD content is stored in a temporary buffer, which is used as temporary storage for the content while watching the “live” (i.e. buffered through the storage device) content. Thus, by storing this LOD content in the temporary buffer, this LOD feature allows the user to rewind anywhere within the temporary buffer up to the last channel change before arriving at the LOD content, or to the beginning of the temporary buffer, whichever is less.
One limitation of recording content live off disk arises when a user tunes to a channel in the middle of a program or other event. Since the LOD buffer only begins storing the program or event when the user tunes to it, the user will not be able to initiate a rewind operation to watch the program from the beginning.
Another similar situation in which this limitation of recording content live off disk arises will be illustrated with respect to FIG. 1. In this example the user is receiving a service 100 (e.g., a conventional broadcast, switched digital video content, etc.) over a content delivery system. The user is viewing event 1 on the service 100, which begins at 6 pm and is scheduled to end at 8 pm. However, event 1 runs late and does not in fact end until 8:15 pm. At 8:15 pm the user changes to service 101 and begins viewing event 3, which started at 8 pm and is scheduled to end at 8:30. The LOD buffer in the DVR device begins storing event 3 at 8:15 pm. Accordingly, the user is unable to rewind to an earlier point during the event because the LOD buffer does not contain data prior to 8:15 pm.